Characteristics of High and Low Crime Neighborhoods in Atlanta, 1980 (ICPSR 7951)

Principal Investigator(s):
Greenberg, Stephanie

Summary:

This study examines the question of how some urban
neighborhoods maintain a low crime rate despite their proximity and
similarity to relatively high crime areas. The purpose of the study is
to investigate differences in various dimensions of the concept of
territoriality (spatial identity, local ties, social cohesion,
informal social control) and physical characteristics (land use,
housing, street type, boundary characteristics) in three pairs of
neighborhoods in Atlanta, Georgia. The study neighborhoods were
selected by locating pairs of adjacent neighborhoods with distinctly
different crime levels. The criteria for selection, other than the
difference in crime rates and physical adjacency, were comparable
racial composition and comparable economic status. This data
collection is divided into two files. Part 1, Atlanta Plan File,
contains information on every parcel of land within the six
neighborhoods in the study. The variables include ownership, type of
land use, physical characteristics, characteristics of structures, and
assessed value of each parcel of land within the six
neighborhoods. This file was used in the data analysis to measure a
number of physical characteristics of parcels and blocks in the study
neighborhoods, and as the sampling frame for the household survey. The
original data were collected by the City of Atlanta Planning Bureau.
Part 2, Atlanta Survey File, contains the results of a household
survey administered to a stratified random sample of households within
each of the study neighborhoods. Variables cover respondents'
attitudes and behavior related to the neighborhood, fear of crime,
avoidance and protective measures, and victimization
experiences. Crime rates, land use, and housing characteristics of the
block in which the respondent resided were coded onto each case
record.

This study examines the question of how some urban
neighborhoods maintain a low crime rate despite their proximity and
similarity to relatively high crime areas. The purpose of the study is
to investigate differences in various dimensions of the concept of
territoriality (spatial identity, local ties, social cohesion,
informal social control) and physical characteristics (land use,
housing, street type, boundary characteristics) in three pairs of
neighborhoods in Atlanta, Georgia. The study neighborhoods were
selected by locating pairs of adjacent neighborhoods with distinctly
different crime levels. The criteria for selection, other than the
difference in crime rates and physical adjacency, were comparable
racial composition and comparable economic status. This data
collection is divided into two files. Part 1, Atlanta Plan File,
contains information on every parcel of land within the six
neighborhoods in the study. The variables include ownership, type of
land use, physical characteristics, characteristics of structures, and
assessed value of each parcel of land within the six
neighborhoods. This file was used in the data analysis to measure a
number of physical characteristics of parcels and blocks in the study
neighborhoods, and as the sampling frame for the household survey. The
original data were collected by the City of Atlanta Planning Bureau.
Part 2, Atlanta Survey File, contains the results of a household
survey administered to a stratified random sample of households within
each of the study neighborhoods. Variables cover respondents'
attitudes and behavior related to the neighborhood, fear of crime,
avoidance and protective measures, and victimization
experiences. Crime rates, land use, and housing characteristics of the
block in which the respondent resided were coded onto each case
record.

Access Notes

The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public.
Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

Study Description

Citation

Greenberg, Stephanie. Characteristics of High and Low Crime Neighborhoods in Atlanta, 1980. ICPSR07951-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1997. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07951.v1

Methodology

Sample:
Stratified random sample of Atlanta households.

Data Source:

personal interviews

Version(s)

Original ICPSR Release: 1984-03-18

Version History:

2005-11-04 On 2005-03-14 new files were added to one
or more datasets. These files included additional setup files as well
as one or more of the following: SAS program, SAS transport, SPSS portable,
and Stata system files. The metadata record was revised 2005-11-04 to
reflect these additions.

1997-09-26 SAS and SPSS data definition statements have been added to
this collection.